Back From The Dead
by n hope
Summary: Jason Todd x Donna Troy fic - Just when they were able to forget him, he shows up, messing with their heads...messing with HER head. Dedicated to Mikeyf1115 (/u/4284492/Mikeyf1115) – thank you for the inspirational idea! :)
1. Vigilante

Back From The Dead

Chapter 1 – Vigilante

Dedicated to Mikeyf1115 ( u/4284492/Mikeyf1115) – thank you for the inspirational idea! :)

Dick Grayson – 26 years old

Barbara Gordon - 25

Jason Todd – 23

Cassandra Sandsmark (Wonder Girl) - 23

Tim Drake – 21

Stephanie Brown – 20

Donna Troy - 20

It's been 7 years since the death of Batman's second protégé – Jason Peter Todd. After he died, Batman quickly replaced him with the third Robin – Timothy Jackson Drake.

Jason's death was a shock to everyone in the Batman family. Even for Nightwing. He was a close friend to Jason. He helped him in his training and went on missions with him. Dick's support for Jason was great and he loved him like a little brother.

As the years passed they forgot about Jason and moved on to the other teenagers in the Team. Nightwing, as the leader, didn't have much time to think about people who were no longer among them. He had more important things to worry about, like a group of loud and messy teenage super heroes in training.

Tim was older now and he took more responsibility about the new Team and missions. A few years ago he took up a new name and is now known as Red Robin. He also had some "personal" problems with Stephanie, since they are a couple and all.

Stephanie is a member of the Bat family, too. When she was 15 she joined the Team and took the name Robin. Then, at 18 she took the name Batgirl, because Barbara had and accident with the Joker and had to be put in a wheelchair, deciding to change her name to Oracle and help the Team from the Watchtower. When Barbara was healed at 24 years of age, she decided to yield the Batgirl appellation to Stephanie, and kept the nickname Oracle.

Donna Troy joined the Team when she was 15, too. When she was 12, Wonder Woman made Donna her apprentice, and she took the appellation Darkstar, because Cassy refused to give up her identity as Wonder Girl.

The Justice League was growing. There were more and more young people who wanted to join, everyone with his/her own special abilities, trained by different JLA members. However, not only was the JLA growing, the Light was also gaining members fast. But not only the Light, there were more evil organizations and even villains who were working solo. And very soon, one of those solo villains will show his face …uh, I mean his mask to the world and introduce himself. Too bad he wasn't just "another" criminal or a thief, who wanted to "be somebody" in this nondurable world.

It was just another lazy Saturday morning. Bruce was peacefully sitting on the huge couch in the living room of his gigantic mansion, reading a paper, and slight music could be heard, playing from the radio, placed next to the couch. He was wearing a tourmaline robe, the end of the sleeves was white and it had a white waist belt. His onyx slippers matched everything perfectly.

Alfred came in the room, humble as ever, with his eyes slightly closed, his thin figure straight up, carrying a small silver tray with one hand, with a cup filled with coffee on it. His other hand was stuck still to his body. He looked so exquisite with his black suit and matching black shoes and socks, white gloves and tucked in shirt, and his neat little black bow tie. His perfectly trimmed moustache was the icing of his refined appearance. Not to mention his smoothly trimmed haircut.

Alfred went to Bruce and stood perfectly still next to the table, as he spoke in his calm and gentle voice.

"Good morning, master Bruce. Your coffee is served."

Alfred deliberately took the cup and placed it on the table, right next to Bruce's paper.

"Thanks Alfred."

Bruce looked at the old man and nodded his head.

"Oh, one more thing, sir. Master Richard will be visiting you today. He said he had something important to tell you."

Alfred walked out of the room and left Bruce wondering what Dick wanted to tell him.

An hour later, Bruce was already in the Batcave, dressed in his costume, when Dick walked in.

"We need to talk."

Dick had his Nightwing costume on. As he walked towards Batman, his facial expression didn't change for a second. He looked worried and yet indifferent.

"Yeah, I know. Alfred said you had something important to tell me. What is it, Dick?"

Bruce turned his gaze from the giant screen of the computer to his ex-protégé.

"There's a new psycho on the loose, right here, in Gotham. He calls himself the Red Hood."

Bruce raised an eyebrow in confusion, as Dick continued to talk:

"I think it might be the Joker again. Planning some kind of revenge or something like that. I came here to ask you for advice."

"Advice isn't the only thing you will be getting. I'm going to help you uncover this person's identity. Right now, I'm pretty sure it's not the Joker. But let's keep this as an option, just in case. Have you started working on the case yet?"

"Yeah, and I've got some information. This morning, this so called Red Hood, blew up Black Masks headquarters and almost killed him. He has also been fighting criminals and controlling whole gangs, he's even in charge of some of the biggest mafia families. It seems that he has been working in the shadows for about a month or so. Who know what else he's in charge of."

Dick's voice became louder and he clenched his teeth at the last sentence. From his expression you could see that he was extremely pissed off. He didn't like it when he wasn't able to do something himself and had to come to Batman for advice or help.

"I don't know how he was able to work under our noses for so long, but I'll start investigating this vigilante right away. Do you have more information? Like where his hiding place is?"

"I have no idea. I've asked some people and gang members where he might be hiding or if they have seen him somewhere, but the answers were all the same – nobody knows anything about that guy! It's like he's a freakin ghost or something – people have seen him, but then he disappears, afterwards he comes out of nowhere again and strikes some of the most influential people in Gotham. Everybody's afraid of this guy."

Batman tightened his fists and narrowed his eyebrows.

"Well then, I guess we start working right away. Gather more information and bring it to me. I'll sum up everything you told me and compare it with the deeds of all the villains we know. I'll be waiting for you to call me when you find out something important that could help us find out who this person is."

Dick nodded and ran out of the cave. Bruce returned to his computer and searched out a list he had made, of all the villains, not only the ones in Gotham, but the ones all over the world, too. He even considered some of the aliens they had fought, but since Dick didn't mention any superpowers he decided to go only with the powerless ones for starters.


	2. Revealed

Back From The Dead

Chapter 2 – Revealed

After 2 long days of research, Batman and Nightwing still couldn't find any useful information to identify the mysterious vigilante.

It was 21:40 and Batman was on patrol in Gotham. He was standing on the Wayne Enterprises building looking at the silent dark town below. In a few minutes Alfred called him and said that there had been a small explosion near the docks. Batman jumped off the building and into the Bat mobile and headed towards the docks.

Batman arrived at the scene of the crime and was lucky to see the Red Hood lying on the ground with his clothes ripped from the explosive, which had been thrown at him. He saw 4 figures get on a boat, and watched them as they disappeared into the darkness, covering the sea. His look turned to the man who was now trying to stand up. His wounds were deep. His mask was ripped from one side and his mouth was showing a little along with his right cheek.

Before the man was able to get up, Batman caught his arms and tied them together. Just as Batman was about to take the wicked crook to the Bat mobile, Red Hood freed his hands and kicked Batman in the chest, while jumping away from him. He started to run, and to Bat's surprise, he had a rope similar to one of his own. The Hood used the rope to climb up a building, and as he did he turned around for a brief moment and shouted.

"You're loosing your touch, Bruce, my old man."

The Red Hood smiled devilishly as he saw the expression on the Bat's face. Batman clenched his teeth in anger and ran after him. Red Hood was very fast and it was hard for Bruce to catch up with him. By the time Bats got on top of the building the Hood was already gone. The man's words echoed through his head. How did that sicko know his secret identity? Luckily, the Bat mobile had recorded everything. Batman went back to the dock. He looked around and saw some of the man's blood and wiped it with a handkerchief.

Bruce arrived home and ran straight to the computer. He took the handkerchief with the blood and set it up for scanning. Then he took the recordings from earlier and analyzed the man's voice. It didn't seem to help him identify the villain. Something about that person reminded him of somebody he knew. But could it really be "him"? When the blood test was ready he compared it with another one. Positive.

"It can't be!"

Bruce fiercely stood up from his seat and stared at the screen.

"Jason."

He said the name quietly and phoned Nightwing to tell him the … the "bad" news. Was it really bad? If it was, why didn't he feel angry about it? No, he didn't feel angry at all. He didn't even feel shocked. He felt, somehow…relieved, at peace. He was relieved because now he knew that his ex-protégé was still alive. But he wasn't happy, because Jason had chosen the path of crime. Bruce felt obliged to help him before he ruins his life.

1 week later…

After the many encounters with Jason, Dick and Bruce finally managed to locate his hideout and separate him from all of his henchmen. He was all alone now. There was nobody he could trust anymore.

Jason had plotted yet another attack. He wanted to get rid of a person whom he hated the most, one of the lowest and most insensitive and monstrous evil beings which have ever lived – the Joker. He wanted him dead and gone forever. After all, the Joker was the one who beat poor Jason to his death. And now, Jason had him locked up in an old abandoned apartment in Gotham. He was beating the hell out of him with a crowbar. He wanted him to go through everything that he did until the Joker was no more. Too bad Batman had to come and ruin everything.

"What are you doing Jason? Is this what I've been teaching you all these years?"

"I'm going to give this spawn what he deserves! And as for you, I don't remember you being next to me through the past couple of years. You were too busy finding me a replacement, so that you could forget about me and move on."

Jason was holding the Joker's hair and pulling it fiercely while holding the crowbar in his other hand and clenching it tightly, as he shouted his words.

"You should know that I have to replace every Robin who grows up and takes up a new identity or dies. I train only special children, children who have talent, special abilities and potential, which couldn't be found in other children. I had no choice but to replace you. How long was I supposed to mourn over your loss?"

Jason pulled the Joker's hair even harder.

"Oh yeah…?! Well, what happened to my replacement, huh? He should be about 20 years old by now, right? Did you get rid of him, too?"

The Joker laughed and looked at Batman.

"Seems like you've got a small family problem. Don't mind me, you were just getting to the good part."

Jason glared at him and then hit his back with the crowbar. The Joker fell to the floor, still smiling. The Red Hood got irritated by his insensitive mocking smile and kicked him to the closet, locking it up. Then he turned to face Batman again. The Dark Knight took a step forward.

"The boy is now 21 years old. He has a new alias. I have changed the lives of 2 children after you died."

Jason's expression softened a little.

"Two? But … when did you manage to…?"

"Dick is now an official leader of the Young Justice Team of America. He helps them and teaches them. He even helps me with the crime fighting in Gotham. This is what those two kids will do when they are ready. This is what you would have been doing right now if you hadn't…died."

"Yeah, thanks to Ra's al Ghul I'm alive now. But that bastard is going to get it, too. After all, he's also a bad guy. So…I'm fulfilling my purpose as a protégé of the Batman – I'm fighting crime, but my way is better. When I take care of a scum like him (points at the closet where the Joker is locked) I take care of him for good."

"That's not the way it's supposed to be. You shouldn't kill. Not good guys, not bad guys, not anybody. The law is the same for everyone. People mustn't kill people, because they become the killer themselves. Like you have. You have become something that you despise the most and you seem to enjoy it."

Jason's eyes darkened and he looked at the floor.

"What's it to you anyway? I'm not a kid anymore. I can take care of myself and choose my own destiny."

"Listen, no matter how old you are, no matter where you are or where you have been, or what path you choose to go, you will always have a home, where you can return to, and there will be people who will love you, no matter what happens. I hope you can understand that what you are doing is wrong and my job is to stop everybody who does such things. As you said, you are not a kid anymore, so I can't do anything except try to talk you out of this and bring out your good side. It's your choice. Either you come with me or I'm going after you. Choose wisely."

Bruce was standing very still and looking at the motionless young man in front of him. Jason never wanted to disappoint his mentor. He never wanted to see the irritated look in his eyes. He could not bare the disappointed voice in which his beloved "father" was talking with. All of this was too much. He never wanted to be a bad person, but circumstances never gave him an option. It seems as if everything was against him. He wanted to be good, he wanted to be acknowledged, not by everyone, just by the only person who had given him a chance for a better life, and had adopted him, given him a purpose to live and move on, to dream and be good, be a hero, be somebody. And here he was now, full of shame and sadness, trying to give Jason another chance. Batman might act as if he doesn't care, as if he is a tough insensitive crime fighter, but Jason knew that he cared for him, for this society and for this miserable world. If he didn't feel that way, he would have already kicked Red Hood's ass and thrown him in jail. Nevertheless, here he was, trying to change the mind of another person who acts as if he knows everything. Jason snapped out of his thoughts and looked back at Bruce, who had taken off his mask, and his caring blue eyes met Jason's mask. He took it off and dropped it on the floor, his eyes were also blue, he really looked like Bruce's son, and they were becoming brighter as they filled with tears. Bruce opened his arms and smiled slightly, but warmly and Jason rushed to hug him.

"If you tell somebody about this, I'll kill you."

They both laughed and took the Joker to jail. After that they headed off to introduce Jason to the YJ – his new team.


	3. Goddess

Back From The Dead

Chapter 3 – Goddess

It was one o'clock in the afternoon and the Team was waiting for Nightwing to arrive. He had told them that their new member will be arriving today and they must all be present at Mount Justice to greet him.

Everybody was wondering who this person would be. They were a little nervous.

In a few minutes the Zeta-Tube announced the arrival of Nightwing, followed by another person, whose name and designation they did not recognize. Everyone silently watched as the two people came in.

"Team, meet your newest member – Jason Todd, a.k.a. the Red Hood."

The Team watched with their mouths wide open. They couldn't believe that one of "the" Robins, who was supposed to be dead, was standing right in front of them and waving casually with a small smirk on his face.

Tim was the first to speak.

"You're alive?! H-how's that even possible? Batman buried you! I saw your grave!"

Jason's smirk faded and he looked at the former Robin. He got a little pissed with all of the questioning, and looked the boy up and down. Finally he said:

"Listen kid, if you're going to be so annoying all the time, I swear I'll snap your neck like a twig! What happened to me is none of your goddamn business, got it?! It's none of anyone's business! I don't want you or anybody here to question my past and personal life! If we're going to be working together, from now on, you're going to talk to me whenever I ask you something or if you have important things to tell me about the missions. No personal stuff! O.K.? Just because I'm going to be in the Team, doesn't mean you have to know things from my personal life, except my real name and my mentor! I'm not here to make friends! I'm here to work! I hope we got things cleared between us."

Tim was looking at the unamiable man with intolerance. He saw the hatred in his eyes, then looked away. Jason looked around the room, then at his teammates. His gaze stopped at one particular person. A tall raven haired girl, dressed in a very provocative suit, which was slightly exposing her breasts and arms; she was wearing 2 silver bracelets, like the ones Wonder Woman had and she wore a black necklace, which reminded him of a leash. She was leaning against the sofa, with her arms crossed looking away from Jason. He gazed at her lovely alluring feminine figure as a giant grin formed on his face. She noticed he was staring at her and her eyes met his. He crossed his arms as she blushed a little and looked away again, flipping away a strand of hair from her gorgeous face.

"Well, who might this lovely creature be?"

Asked Jason, walking towards her and taking the hand with which she flipped her hair, looking her straight in the eyes. She quickly pulled it back and answered.

"My name is Donna Troy, but since you're here only for work, you can call me by my appellation - Darkstar."

She narrowed her eyes not blinking through the whole conversation.

"Kitty's got claws! O.K. doll, I'll keep that in mind."

He put his hands up in defeat and stepped away sheepishly, smiling like hell at the sexy goddess before him. Damn, she was hot when she was angry. The way she acted and talked back at him, with that calmly fascinating voice of hers just turned him on even more. But he was going to sit back for the moment. He didn't want to start doing crap from the first day. He didn't worry at all. There was plenty of time to make his move on her.

Donna was pissed when somebody called her with a pet name. She always thought it was because of the "leash" necklace. She loved that necklace. It was a gift, well more of a souvenir, after a mission she did with Wonder Woman. Anyway, she didn't like it when somebody was acting so cocky around her. She never understood why some of her girl friends, here on Earth, liked that kind of behaviour, especially when it was coming from a boy. On the other hand, though, Jason loved it when a girl played hard to get. He found it entertaining of a girl to think she could escape his charms. So he played along. He sweet talked them, and made gestures to the girls, making them feel wanted. There was no escaping his manly tactics. He thought that Donna was one of "those" girls. But he was god damn wrong. She was a warrior, a strong and independent woman and a hero. She would never fall for a guy like him, and if he continued acting like this, she would even stop paying attention to him. She had never loved a man before. For crying out loud, she hadn't even LIKED a guy before!

It was only a couple of days before Jason could finally fit in the Team. His teammates got used to his tough personality, constant abuse and violent behaviour. In those couple of days he tried to hit on Donna, twice, since he wasn't hanging around the hideout longer than necessary. Though he didn't think she was worth his strength, there was something about her that made him go to missions with a smile and a strong heartbeat. Maybe she wasn't like all the other girls he had met, this thought roamed around in his mind every time he saw her, whether it was when she pushed him away or when she got pissed at him for fooling around, and not paying attention to the mission. How the hell was he supposed to do that when she was always there messing around in his head. Oh, how he loved to watch her fight! It was bliss for his craving eyes.

It was 11:26 on a Sunday morning, and the Team had no missions today. Some of the members were out, except for one – Dick was with his beloved Zatanna; Barbara, Cassandra and Stephanie were shopping; Tim was training with Batman; and Jason was nowhere to be found. Donna was peacefully enjoying her day off in Mount Justice. She was wearing a blue tank top with 3 black stars on her chest – the one in the middle was bigger than the others; black skinny jeans and dark blue flats with small white bows. She was watching TV with her feet on the table, some pillows behind her back and head, eating popcorn and other unhealthy Earth foods, which she loved dearly. She didn't like being alone, because there was nothing exciting happening, and she loved excitement and hated being bored to death. She thought that maybe it would have been better if she went shopping with Babs, Cassy and Stephie. But the whole "shopping" thing…it wasn't her "thing". She would rather stay home and be bored, then walk around malls all day watching her friends squeak and jump around when they see something pretty. They often used her as a "model" when they were out. They picked so many beautiful but unnecessary provoking clothes and shoes. She could never imagine walking around the city in those. It's true that her super suit was kind of, maybe, revealing her breasts too much, and it was tight enough already. She didn't need the clothes they picked for her. She had her own. Whether they were for a party or for a normal outing. Donna never felt the need to be sexy for somebody else.

As she was lying there, she heard the computer announce Jason's designation. She twitched her eye but didn't stand up. She would never give him the honor of her joyful attention.

"Hey, cupcake. Missed me?"

Jason smiled widely at the sight of her, just lying there, careless as can be. He was in his regular clothes – dark blue jeans, a black shirt with two white stripes on both sleeves, a denim jacket with two pockets on the chest area and a zipper and black sneakers with white shoelaces.

"Didn't I tell you not to call me with pet names?!"

Donna narrowed her eyebrows as she continued watching television, not once turning to face him. He jumped on a seat next to her and looked at her pissed off look, smiling even more.

"Why do you always try to ignore me, babe? I just want to talk to you, that's all!"

He placed his arms on the back of the couch, now looking at the screen, as he stopped smiling. His voice was now serious. Donna slammed her bowl with popcorn on the table and turned her angry gaze to him.

"How dare you?!"

Jason looked at her in confusion.

"First, you come in here all cocky and stuff, joking around with me and the others, saying how you don't want to be friends with anybody, and now here you are – asking me why I always "try" to ignore you. I don't try to, I AM ignoring you! And get one thing through your thick skull – NEVER USE PET NAMES ON ME! Got it, SLICK?!"

She threw herself back at the couch and crossed her arms. Her face was red and she couldn't believe that she just called him "slick"! At the thought of calling someone by a pet name, she shut her eyes tightly and shrugged in the couch between the pillows. She looked just like a little girl, who didn't get what she wanted. She was so embarrassed. Jason, on the other hand, was smiling widely, a cute and playful giant smile, showing his bright white teeth, going straight up to his ears. So cute.

"Wow, Donna! Just …WOW! I don't know whether to feel bad or jump around the room and sing you a song! That was hilarious!"

He sat back and started laughing. Then he looked to her again and saw her embarrassment.

"Listen, sugar cube…I didn't want to make that pretty face angry. I'm sorry…"

Jason leaned to her face and kissed her on the head, right on top of her ear. Donna quickly opened her eyes just in time to meet his. They stared at each other for a while, then Jason said:

"How about I make it up to you, and take you out? Anywhere you want! It's not like I have anything better to do."

He smiled cheekily again, as he waited for an answer.

"Alright, but just for the record – I went out with you because I was bored to death, and this is NOT a date!"

Jason sighed and agreed.

Donna went to get her purse and they headed out.

*I must be out of my mind!* Donna thought to herself.

*SCORE!* Jason was thinking.


	4. Trouble

Back From The Dead

Chapter 4 – Trouble

It has been 2 months since Jason joined the Team and he seemed to get on well with everyone. There hadn't been any problems for a while now. Donna seemed to notice the changes and enjoyed them, after all, they were made just to impress her and make her feel comfortable around him. He never liked it when she got mad at him, so he was forced to better himself in a way. Jason really liked Donna. He would never admit it, though. She seemed to like him, too. In these 2 months, the two of them had made progress with their communication. It seemed that they finally understood each other and became rather close friends.

Jason, Donna, Barbara, Tim and Stephanie were on a mission. They had to take a very dangerous toxin to England. It's true that this toxin was awfully dangerous, but thanks to a British scientist, who lived in Exeter, this destructive toxin was going to be manufactured into a helpful medicine. The toxin had been stolen from the Light, since they liked to play with chemicals and all.

The team was flying with their private plane to Europe. Everyone was enjoying the flight, since no villains were bothering them. Stephanie, Tim and Barbara were having a conversation about the mission, while Donna was flying outside, making sure they weren't being followed. Jason was sitting alone at a back seat, looking through the window, his eyes searching for Donna with concern. Ever since they got on the plane he has been having this weird feeling. He didn't like it when he heard Nightwing tell Donna that she should fly outside the plane once in a while to check for "uninvited guests". Jason smiled as he saw Donna show up at his window and wave peachily at him, then fly away again.

"Do you see anything unusual, Darkstar?" Tim asked Donna through his transmitter.

"Nothing out of the or….uh…!"

Jason jumped from his seat as he saw his goddess flying backwards, hitting her head in the plane's left wing, distorting it a little. The plane shook slightly and then gained its previous position.

Before Tim could set out any orders, Jason had already jumped off the plane to save Donna. He had some sort of a jetpack on his back. She was falling with incredible speed, but so was he. Jason grabbed her wrist and he felt himself fall even faster. Donna snapped out of the shock and looked at him.

"Let me go! Help the others! I'll be fine!" She twisted her wrist so that Jason could let her go, but it didn't work.

"Why aren't you flying?" He shouted, as he grabbed her even tighter.

"It's Klarion! He put some sort of bracelet on my ankle, that doesn't allow me to fly. Now, LET GO!" She twisted her wrist even more.

"They'll be fine! I must help you first! I can't let you drown! Do you have any idea what Wonder Woman would do to me if I do?!" He smiled stupidly, his hand now slipping from hers.

"It's not time for your jokes right now. Maybe later." She smiled back sadly, grabbed his jacket and threw him up as far as possible so that he could gain hight. Jason switched on his jetpack and flew back up as he watched Donna fall into the ocean.

When he went back on the plane Barbara and Stephanie were knocked out and Tim was fighting Klarion.

"Quickly, Red HoodHccd. Try to wake Batgirl and Oracle. We need as many people as we can to fight him back. We mustn't let him take the toxin."

"Are you a fuckin' retard or something! How the fuck are we supposed to fight an air battle, when we don't even have any flying heroes around?! Nightwing is such an idiot!" Jason cursed as he tried to wake Babs and Stephie.

"Just do what I told you, you friggin psycho, you'll get us all killed."

"I don't think those two sleeping beauties are waking up any time soon. That little piece of crap must have jinxed them or something!" Jason went to help Tim.

The plane was wrecked and it was falling fast. The toxin fell off the plane and Klarion went after it, leaving the young heroes behind, to wonder what they're going to do next. Barb and Steph were still unconscious, and Tim and Jason were still shouting and insulting each other, like always. Suddenly, the plane stopped. Everyone fell to the front of the plane, Jason under Tim, Tim under Babs, and Babs under Stephie.

"What the FUCK is going on? Get off me you fat ass dipshit!" As Jason said those words, the plane quickly returned to its normal flying position, and they were on the go, again. Barbara and Stephanie had woken up from the crash and were now lying on their separate seats. Jason went back to his previous sitting place and Tim was holding a bag of ice on Steph's head.

When Klarion had left the plane to get the toxin, he had met Donna on his way down. She had taken off the bracelet, and just when he was about to reach the poison, she had grabbed it first and hit the evil little wizard in the face with her fierce fist of justice. She had sent him flying back up, spinning around, and just as she was about to finish him off, he disappeared into a dark hole. She saw the falling plane and quickly got a hold of it, just in time. She had put the toxin in her uniform, so that she could grab the plane with both hands and fly it to England.

When they arrived in Exeter, they went straight to the scientist's lab. After explaining about their delay, Donna took out the medium sized glass tube from between her breasts, and gave it to the scientist. Jason grinned at the scene before him, and started moving his eyebrows up and down as he looked at a blushing Donna.

"What? My suit has no pockets!" She purged, crossing her hands and looking away from Jason's pervy look.

They had finished their mission, and delivered the toxin. The rest was up to the scientist. The team went to the airport. A new private plane was waiting for them, courtesy of Batman. They got on and relaxed.

Donna was sitting on a back seat with her eyes closed. Jason went and sat next to her.

"Nice job, babe. I gotta tell ya, the last part…made my day!" He was grinning at her again.

Donna looked at him and smiled. "You were worried about me, weren't you!?"

"Y-yeah, sure, why not…" Silence. Jason looked away. His grin faded.

"You know, it's fine to let your feelings out, once in a while." She said softly, placing a hand on his. Jason twitched from her gentle touch, and moved his hand away. Donna frowned and looked down.

"Sorry…I'm just not used to being honest about my feelings. I guess this is just another bad habit I'll have to let go. Starting…Now." He reached out his hand to touch her chin and turned her head towards him.

"What's that supposed to mea…" Jason was kissing her now. She closed her eyes slowly, to enjoy the kiss. He wasn't being rough. No, not this time. Not with this girl. Not again. It's true that actions spoke louder than words, and right now, he was being more honest than ever before. He really liked Donna, and she liked him back. From the moment he saw her he knew she was special, special in any kind of way. She didn't believe she could ever fall in love with such a brute. But here she is now, kissing the man whom she disliked at first.

Donna placed her hand on Jason's cheek and massaged it with her thumb. He placed his on her waist and pulled her closer as he deepened the kiss.

"Hey, lovebirds. Take it easy. We can hear your moans here at the front." Both of them separated and looked at a grinning Tim. Jason shot daggers at him and muttered something under his nose, locking his hands. Donna blushed, as she saw Barbara and Stephanie looking cheekily at her with their giant shiny grins, giggling and whispering something to each other.

*Pfft…women…* Donna thought, and smiled slightly to herself, taking a look out the window again.


	5. Misunderstanding

Back From The Dead

Chapter 5 – Misunderstanding

The mission the Team had been on had given Jason some pretty bad injuries and a lot of stress. He badly needed a shower, and right after they got off the plane he ran straight to the bathroom. As he was running he unbuckled his trousers, took off his jacket and threw it on the floor in the hall, right before he was about to enter "heaven".

Jason was enjoying the coolness of the water as it ran down his wounded, but still perfectly muscular body. He wasn't able to take a hot shower because of the incisions and bruises. The hot water just wasn't helping the pain.

When Jason was done, he put on a white towel around his waist, stepped out of the shower and grabbed his clothes from the floor. He picked up his final piece of clothing and just as he looked up, he saw Cassandra standing by the door holding his jacket and smiling.

"Sorry to interrupt, but…uh, I think you dropped this. I wasn't peeking, I swear!" She looked away as she walked towards the half naked man, handing him the jacket, blushing and looking at the floor.

"Don't be shy Wonder babe. You aren't the first woman who has seen me in a similar situation." Jason laughed and petted the blond girl on the head. As he took his jacket, Cassy quickly turned around. She tried to run from embarrassment, but she tripped on the wet floor. Jason tried to catch her. He reached his free hand to grab hers, but instinctively his other one reached, too. He caught Cassy in his arms and his towel fell off. She shrugged as his "parts" rubbed against her thigh. They both blushed. He quickly let the girl go, while turning her around fast enough for her not to see his naked body. He put his towel on and looked at her. She was standing still in one place and looking embarrassed at the open door. His gaze turned to the person standing at the doorway. His eyes widened as Donna clenched her teeth and fists, narrowing her eyes.

"Donna…babe…it's totally not what it looked like! I …"

"You filthy son of a bitch! How dare you?! Everything you told me was a lie!? You don't really care about me do you? You just want to use me! And _you_…- she looked at Cassy - …I thought you were my friend." Donna's voice was a little more silent when she said the last sentence. She sounded so disgusted and upset.

"Donna, please listen to me. I swear we weren't doing what you think we were. I was about to fa…"

"ENOUGH CASSANDRA! I don't want to listen to your pathetic excuses." Donna's eyes filled with tears, ready to burst out. She flew out of Mount Justice, leaving both of her teammates behind.

Jason was in the training room, beating the crap out of some computerised villains.

"Stupid…stupid…STUPID!" He was shouting and clenching his teeth.

Miss Martian had been standing in the doorway, watching him for the past few minutes, before she finally said: "Wow…and I thought Superboy had anger issues. What's going on?" She started walking towards him, then stopped and crossed her arms. Jason went to a table and picked up a towel and wiped his forehead.

"It's nothing you have to worry about."

"I know you're not the talkative type but sometimes it's better if you just tell a friend how you feel. And I see you're not doing a very good job by yourself." Miss M went to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, giving him a smile.

"It's Donna…She saw me and Wonder Girl…in the bathroom…" Jason looked away and blushed. Megan's eyes widened and she removed her hand from his shoulder.

"I swear to God we weren't doing anything! Cassandra fell, and in my attempt to help her to not break her head, I let go of my towel and it fell. Then, when I caught her I was naked…and that's when Donna came in and saw me holding Cassy…naked." Jason closed his eyes and his grasp tightened around the towel. Megan started laughing.

"Hey, hey, hey…it's not funny! I thought you came here to help me. My love life is at stake here!" Jason crossed his arms and narrowed his eyebrows. When Miss M finally stopped laughing, she looked at him.

"So you DO love her! HA, I knew it! Listen J, you should go to her and explain everything. Take Cassy with you. And the most important thing you must do is to tell Donna the whole truth about how you feel towards her. I heard about the make out session on the plane last week. Don't be afraid to let her in. You won't regret it." Megan turned around and started walking to the door.

"Wait! How am I supposed to make her listen to me. I don't even know where she is."

"Give her time."

19:45

Donna finally came back to the hideout and straight to her room. She jumped on her bed and covered her face in the pillow. A few minutes later there was a knock on her door. She didn't feel like seeing anyone tonight, so she told them to go away. Suddenly she heard the pleading voice of Jason.

"Please, Donna. Open the door. We need to talk." He stood on the other side, with his forehead leaning on the steel door. Donna lifted her head from the pillow.

"You again! There's nothing to talk about. I saw what you were doing. Now leave me alone!" She buried her face in her pillow again. Jason didn't like being pushed away, especially not by _her_, so he did what he thought he should do – he knocked the door down. Who knew he could do such a thing without any superpowers. I guess when a person is too scared or, in his case, frustrated he could do anything. Donna jumped from the bed and before she was able to stand on her feet, Jason grabbed her and put his arms around her waist, burying his face in her stomach. She was sitting on the bad with her hands lifted up so she didn't touch Jason, who was kneeling before her and holding her tighter than ever.

"Please…listen…I would never do anything to hurt you, because I … I love you, Donna Troy! I love you more than anyone else in this world. I am ready to let you in…to show you how much I care. I know you might not feel the same, but I am willing to change just for you. Tell me what you want and I'll give you everything! Just…please…don't leave me on my own. No woman has ever tried to understand me, like you do. I can't loose you, not now, not ever. What you saw earlier…was an accident." Jason explained everything then looked up at her face to see her expression. She was calm now, and she finally placed her hands on him – the left one was on his back rubbing it gently, and the right one was holding his cheek. She started crying and she lifted his head and kissed him. When they separated she said: "I can't believe I made Jason Todd "The Red Hood" himself say such things to a girl. And don't worry, your secret's safe with me!" They laughed. "I love you, too Jay darling." They laughed again, and Jason stood up. "I want you to go out with me tomorrow. This time it will be a real date. I'll even take you to a carnival and buy you junk and stuff, you know, like in the movies." Donna stood up and hugged him.

"I accept, but…there's no carnival around here at this time of the year."

"Who said it has to be around here. I suggest we take Miss M's ship and fly ourselves to Italy. We'll spend a nice day just by ourselves in Venice – the city of love."

"Uh…J, Paris is the city of love."

"Really? I thought it was the city of lights! And Venice has gondolas and pigeons and shit…that's why I think it's more romantic. There's also a guy who sings while we make out in front of him…in _his_ boat." Donna giggled.

"I think Rio would be better, but it's your choice mister Google." She kissed him goodnight and pushed him towards the _exit_.

"You know, you have to fix my door tomorrow."

"Donna…Babe…Leave this to Red Tornado. He's our cleaning lady after all. Let him do his job." Jason grinned and started walking out.

"You should become a history teacher." Donna smiled as she watched him walk away. He stopped to look at her. "Maybe I will. But it's highly unlikely. The salary is miserable…oh, and I can't handle 20 little runts getting on my nerves all day." He winked and left. Donna started packing for tomorrow then went to bed. Who knows, maybe he _is_ willing to change! Let's hope it's for the better.


	6. Farewell My Love

Back From The Dead

Chapter 6 – Farewell My Love

It had been 2 years since Donna and Jason got together. Their different characters allowed them to get on perfectly with each other. Each of them knew the other's habits, interests, etc. They shared moments, thoughts, things. Jason had even asked Donna to move in with him. She was so glad he was over the childish stuff and she noticed how much he had matured. He had to make some changes, though. But the truth was that she loved him the way he was. He didn't have to change, but he loved her so much, that he felt the need to make an exception, just to make her happy. With time, Jason and Donna realized the bond they had developed for one another.

One Thursday afternoon, Donna was called by her former mentor. Wonder Woman was waiting for Donna in a café, near Jason's apartment. The Amazon wanted a more private conversation with her former protege, more casual, without other superheroes hanging around, that's why she chose a café. Donna had a bad feeling about it and was a little nervous. However, she was glad that she could spend a little time with her mentor. She loved Diana with all of her heart, and Diana loved her, too. Wonder Woman was like a mother to Donna, that's how strong their relationship was. It wasn't just a student – mentor kind of thing.

The young woman finally arrived at the café, where the warrior Amazon was waiting for her, dressed very casually – a blue vest with some ornaments drawn over her chest, black jeans, white flippers, a red and blue purse with some stars and a silver bracelet on her left hand. Donna was wearing a purple shirt, showing her right shoulder, with a woman's face, perfectly carved on the shirt with black threads; bright grey shorts could be seen from under the long wavy shirt; black sandals and a beautiful necklace with the letters "J" and "D" on it. Jason had given it to her for her 22nd birthday.

The conversation started out pleasantly, without any sign of trouble. Donna loosened up a little and enjoyed their talk. Despite the careless chit chat, she still couldn't truly relax.

"Donna, I know we're having a great time, but I didn't really call you here only for a cup of coffee." And there it was – that annoying feeling again – she knew Wonder Woman was a bearer of bad news. The tension was building inside of her. She waited patiently for the Amazon to continue.

"I called you here to tell you that you have to go back to Themyscira. I know it's sudden and it's going to be hard for you to let all of _this_ go, but it's really important that you return."

Donna's breathing became more frequent and she felt her lungs get heavier. The pressure on her chest tightened and she felt like someone was stepping on it.

"H-How long am I going to stay there?" Diana's expression suddenly became sad and sorry.

"I don't actually know. The mission could take months, even years. But you won't be going alone – Cassandra is coming with you." Donna was watching as if Diana had stabbed her straight in the heart.

"What is my mission?" Donna said silently without even blinking.

"You and Cassy have to rebuild the island. There was an attack. The island was completely destroyed. I can't go because I have a different mission here. Since no one except the Amazons are allowed there, you and Cass have been chosen to go." Donna placed her hands on the table and covered her head.

"What about Jason?" She whispered. Wonder Woman closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry!" That's all she said before Donna started crying. Silence…

Donna slowly made her way to the apartment. She went in and straight to the bedroom. She collapsed on the bed still crying. Was it over? Was everything she and Jason had been through suddenly fading away? Wonder Woman said it could take years. What if those years separate them forever, and when she comes back he would have forgotten her, gotten over her or even worse…What if it takes too long, too long…for him to bare? She was broken inside and her thoughts were eating her. It's not supposed to end like this! It's not fair! Donna was in pain. She heard the door open and close, then she heard her boyfriend's _cool_ voice.

"Hey, super babe! I'm home, I've got great news! I am…Donna, what's going on? Have you been crying?" As he came in the bedroom he saw his girlfriend sitting on the bed with her face looking down to the floor and her hands placed on her knees. She had stopped crying a few minutes ago but her eyes were still swollen from the tears. He went to her and sat on the floor, touching her cheeks and rubbing them.

"Jason…I am leaving." The tears burst out again and she screamed out as if she was in pain. Jason looked at her confused.

"What are you talking about?" He removed his hands from her cheeks.

"They are sending me away…back to Themyscira, with Cassandra. We have to help rebuild it."

"That's all!? Ha, babe, that's not a big deal. You're going to come back right after you've finished…Right?"

"Oh, Jason. Who knows how long it's going to take. This is a giant floating island. A lot of warriors are wounded and there's nothing left of it. We have to consider all options when I'm gone."

"What do you mean? What options?" Their conversation was long and hurtful. Both of them knew what might happen when Donna leaves, but they were too lost in thought to think about anything right now.

"When are you leaving?" Jason was holding her, while they were lying in bed, cuddling.

"Tomorrow – 09:00"

"Well, that sucks. If I ever knew that saving the world would bring me this much pain I would have never accepted. I think it might have been better if Batman had blown me off in that building in the first place. Stupid mentor and his sweet talk!" He held her closer.

"Calm down, Jason. I promise I'll be back."

"And when you do, I'll be waiting here. I love you with all my heart, Donna."

"I love you, too. So what were you going to tell me before you came in?"

"Oh, yeah! They have accepted me in the JLA! Finally! I thought I'd never join!"

"Oh my God, baby! That's so awesome! I'm so happy for you!" They kissed. Jason's hand moved from Donna's shoulder to her waist, and down to her thighs. Then he unbuckled her shorts. She placed her hands under his shirt and removed it. His kisses went to her neck and collar bone. They undressed each other, spending on last night together.

The next morning Donna was packed and ready to go. The lump in her chest was growing with every second. Jason wasn't feeling happy about this either. They didn't say a single word to each other until they reached Mount Justice, from where Donna and Cassy were supposed to take off. They said their goodbyes and flew away. He watched as they disappeared into the clouds.

9 years later…

Donna and Cassy had finally finished their job. The island was looking better than ever. Everyone had returned to their homes and it was time for the two Amazons to go back, too.

They went straight to the Watchtower, where Donna was desperately expecting her love to be waiting for her. When she didn't see him there all kinds of thoughts ran through her mind. Then she saw Wonder Woman, who went to greet them.

"Diana, where's Jason?" She was smiling her and her eyes shined brightly as she said his name. Diana's smile, on the other hand, faded as she heard Jason's name. She placed a hand on Donna's shoulder. Donna stood still and twitched from her touch.

"Donna…Jason's not coming back. He has been gone for 2 years now."

"W-Where did he go? Where is he?" Donna started panicking and the tension was building inside her. Her fear grew stronger and she was being impatient.

"I don't think you understand. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but… Jason's dead." Donna felt her body go numb, her jaw fell open and her shiny eyes darkened.

"2 years ago we were fighting against the Light. We couldn't save him. It was supposed to be a fight we were prepared for, but we were ambushed and tricked. Jason fought till his last breath. The mission was successful. Too bad we had to give up the life of one of our toughest and _youngest_ members. I'm sorry, Donna." Donna felt emptiness crawl up inside her. The pain was so strong that she couldn't feel, see or hear anything. She was slowly loosing her sanity. He was gone forever and she hadn't been there to save him. She fell to the ground screaming and holding her stomach, clenching her fists and shutting her eyes as tightly as possible. The tears came shortly after the screams of grief and agony. That was the last time Donna ever had any feelings. That day the final piece of love, which she had left, had broken. Everything she ever felt suddenly disappeared – her love was gone, her heart was broken, her body weakened and people watched as she crumbled down and fell apart, not only on the inside. Days past – she didn't come out of her apartment, of _their_ apartment. Everything had been going so perfectly. Everything had been fine. Until she left.

*It was all my fault… I am responsible... I can't live like this… you were supposed to be waiting for me when I come back…you promised…I came back…where are you…I love you…how am I supposed to move on without him…I don't even know if I'm alive or on the verge of death…I love you…I am nothing without you Jason…I love you…need you…want you…I …want this pain to go away…it's not true…they lied to me…you're alive…they just can't find you…you were good…you changed…good people don't die…no …I won't give up _hope_…I won't accept it…it's not the truth…you're not dead…this can't be happening…no…no…no…* She screamed "NOOOOOOOOO…NOOO …NOOO…NO…no no no no noo no no…" Donna covered herself with the sheets. She had all of _his_ clothes, stuff and pictures around her on the bed. This apartment was the only thing he had left her. Her suffering was going to make it her tomb. Donna Troy was lost.


End file.
